Oakland International Film Festival - Day 3 at Holy Names University

Please join us at Holy Names University of Oakland for Day 3 of the 16th annual Oakland International Film Festival (OIFF)! Day 3 continues our exploration of the 2018 OIFF theme “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” by focusing on films that tell overlooked stories of resistance and resilience—in particular, against race-based structural violence and human trafficking. All 2018 OIFF sessions at HNU on April 5 are FREE and open to the public.

9:30am - 10:00amShort film: Welcome to the Neighborhood

10:00am - 10:25amShort film: Surviving International Boulevard

10:25am - 10:50amConversation with filmmakers and activists

11:00am - 12:25pmFilm screening: Resistance at Tule Lake

12:25pm - 12:55pmBreak

1:00pm - 2:35pmFilm screening: California’s Forgotten Children

2:35pm - 3:00pmPanel discussion on fighting human trafficking

Day 3 of 2018 Oakland International Film Festival programming at Holy Names is presented by the Oakland Film Society and the Asia Pacific Peace Studies Institute (APPSI). Generous support is also provided by the HNU CORE Program in Integrative Studies Across Cultures.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

This short film tells the story of a South Berkeley family, the Howards, in order to explore the resiliency of individuals and communities in the face of adversity, and the unfolding housing crisis that threatens a community’s diversity and, indeed, its history. Mable Howard, known to most as Mama Howard, came with her husband and children to San Francisco during World War II to work in the shipyards of Hunter’s Point. They soon joined the growing community of African Americans in South Berkeley and North Oakland. Prior to her death in 1994, Mable Howard spearheaded many significant political and community projects. Her lawsuit against BART in 1968 forced the transit agency to underground the trains that traveled through her neighborhood, preventing the division of the black and white sections of town by a set of tracks. Her daughter, Mildred Howard, an internationally renowned artist, grew up believing she could accomplish anything. Her work, which includes many public artworks in the Bay Area, reframes history to tell the stories of those who are overlooked. Today there is one thing that Mildred Howard cannot do—afford to continue living in Berkeley. When her landlord raises her rent by fifty percent, Howard comes to terms with leaving the city that has been her home for nearly seventy years.

Welcome to the Neighborhood screens with Surviving International Boulevard. These two short films will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Pam Uzell (Welcome to the Neighborhood), renowned artist Mildred Howard (Welcome to the Neighborhood), and cast/crew members from Surviving International Boulevard. Admission to this screening/conversation is FREE! Click here to reserve your seat.

Surviving International Boulevard

This short film reveals the complex reality of domestic child sex trafficking through the experiences of two women from Oakland, California. Driving along International Boulevard’s dark streets, a mother recounts her own wild determination to rescue her 15-year-old daughter from a sex trafficker “boyfriend.” Night after night, combing the streets of East Oakland, she never gives up on her child. Switching to daylight, a nonprofit advocate and survivor of sexual exploitation shares her extensive experience helping young victims get the help they so desperately need. Driving along “The Blade,” as some call it, Sarai Smith Mazariegos, co-founder of MISSSEY.org and founder of SHADEproject.org, unveils her personal story while breaking down the raw truth about victims and traffickers as it unfolds on the streets around her.

Surviving International Boulevard screens with Welcome to the Neighborhood. The two short films will be followed by a conversation with Sian Taylor Gowan and Sarai T. Smith-Mazariegos—respectively, the director of and featured activist in Surviving International Boulevard—along with cast/crew members from Welcome to the Neighborhood. Admission to this screening/conversation is FREE! Click here to reserve your seat.

Resistance at Tule Lake

This feature-length documentary film tells the long-suppressed story of 12,000 Japanese Americans who dared to resist the U.S. government’s program of mass incarceration during World War II. Branded as “disloyals” and re-imprisoned at Tule Lake Segregation Center, they continued to protest in the face of militarized violence, and thousands renounced their U.S. citizenship. Giving voice to experiences that have been marginalized for over 70 years this documentary challenges the nationalist, one-sided ideal of wartime “loyalty” that undermines democracy and the building of truly peaceful societies.

“Resistance at Tule Lake is a potent piece of history at a time when the United States is once again feeling less than hospitable.”

~ The New York Times

California’s Forgotten Children

This film features survivors of child sex trafficking who are now leaders in the fight against this abominable injustice. Through the personal stories of remarkable survivor-leaders, California’s Forgotten Children seeks to inform and mobilize communities to take action. The filmmakers invite YOU to join in the fight to end human trafficking—especially the sexual exploitation of children—by using this documentary and accompanying resources. Our mission is to distribute California’s Forgotten Children to schools and non-profit organizations in California, and to screen at film festivals and broadcast on television, in order to raise public consciousness about modern-day slavery and influence public policy.

California's Forgotten Children will be followed by a conversation with Melody C. Miller (film director), Genice Jacobs (associate producer & founder of Abolitionist Mom), and Sarai T. Smith-Mazariegos (executive director of S.H.A.D.E. Project). Admission to this screening/conversation is FREE! Click here to reserve your seat.

Holy Names University (HNU) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical/mental disability, marital status, or national or ethnic origins in the administration of its educational or admission policies, scholarships and loan programs, and athletic and other University administered programs.